Gennifer Roy (Granby, Mass.) paced the host team with 15 points on a 6-of-10 effort from the field. Tiffany Colon (Lawrence, Mass.) and Kelly Schatzlein (Tolland, Conn.) chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively. Colon also grabbed six rebounds in the contest for the Warriors.
In the opening minutes, neither team could sink a bucket as the score remained 0-0 for the first 2:40. Colon connected on a three-pointer to open the scoring at 17:20, putting the home side ahead 3-0. A layup by Schatzlein extended Merrimack’s early edge to 5-0. A pair of treys granted the Hounds their first lead of the game, 6-5.
The two squads traded buckets until Roy nailed a three-pointer to extend the lead to 12-8 and kick start a 13-2 run for the Warriors. Indianapolis would not allow the hosts to gain a large margin and trumped Merrimack’s run with a 15-2 streak.
Consecutive field goals from downtown by Katie Ganser (Needham, Mass.) and Roy gave the Warriors a 32-25 edge as the first half was winding down. Shelby Wall hit a jumper with 22 ticks left on the clock to draw the Hounds to within five of Merrimack.
The Warriors headed into the break with a 32-27 edge and the ball coming out of the half.
In the second stanza, Roy tallied a layup to open the half and give Merrimack a 34-27 lead after just nine seconds. The Hounds rattled off eight straight points by Wall to take the lead, 35-34.
Colon converted two free throws to restore Merrimack’s edge. Indianapolis went on an 8-0 run to reclaim the lead.
Throughout the second period, the visitors slowly extended their lead. The Hounds’ largest advantage of the day was a 29-point margin after a layup by Kaleigh Andrews.
The Warriors shot 41% from the field and 35% from three-point range. Merrimack was nearly perfect from the charity stripe in the game, sinking 10 free throws on 11 attempts. Schatzlein and Colon each netted four free throws for the host team.
Indianapolis owned a 47% field goal percentage and a 37% three point percentage. The Hounds held the rebounding advantage, grabbing 42 boards while the Warriors pulled down 23.
“Our first half performance showed our true identity on the court. We played hard on offensive and we played strong defense,” said fifth-year head coach Helen Williams. “We just need to play consistently for the entirety of the game and good things will happen.”
Merrimack resumes Northeast-10 Conference play Tuesday, November 23 as Stonehill rolls into North Andover.
Senior Sarah Benischek (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) was named to the All-Tournament team after turning in solid performances in both games for Merrimack. Jerica Hewett represented Shepherd while Danielle Smith of Slippery Rock was tabbed to the team as well. Indianapolis had two players earn All-Tournament honors as Wall earned a spot and Samantha Meissel was the Most Valuable Player.
In the consolation game, Shepherd utilized a near-perfect performance from the free throw line to drop Slippery Rock. The Rams knocked down 23-consecutive free throws and didn’t miss one until late in the game.
- www.merrimackathletics.com -
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